Travel flask



June 7, 1955 R. D. ZARRA 2,710,108

TRAVEL FLASK Filed Jan. 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l ii. INVENTORPoi/44.00. D 20229 R. D. zARRA TRAVEL FLASK June 7, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Filed Jan. 25, 1952 INVENTOR Rot/4400 D. 242,24

ATTORNEYS TRAVEL FLASK Rinaldo D. Zarra, Newburgh, N. Y.

Application January 25, 1952, Serial No. 268,269

2 Claims. (Cl. 215-13 This invention relates to beverage containers, andmore particularly to an improved beverage flask or bottle which can beopened or closed by a simplemovement of one hand.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedbeverage flask or bottle which is simple in construction, which isinexpensive to manufacture, and which can be opened and closed with asimple movement of one hand, whereby it is especially suitable for useby drivers of vehicles, pilots and crew members of military and otheraircraft, and persons in similar occupations, to allow such persons todrink liquids while engaged in driving a vehicle, operating an aircraft,or in other similar occupations requiring the use of one hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved beverageflask or bottle especially arranged so that it may be opened and closedwith a simple movement of one hand in order to permit the user to drinktherefrom while the users other hand is occupied, the improved bottlebeing durable in construction, being compact in size, and allowing theuser to drink therefrom without requiring the bottle to be elevated intothe users line of vision.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description. and claims, and from theaccompanying'drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an improved thermos flaskconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in cross section, ofthe upper portion of the flask of Figure 1, the cap of the flask beingshown in opened position.

Figure 3 is a top view of the structure shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical cross sectional View taken on the line 44 ofFigure 3.

Figure 5 is a vertical cross sectional view similar to Figure 4 butshowing the cap of the flask in closed position.

Referring to the drawings, the flask is designated generally at 11 andcomprises an outer elongated housing 12 having the reduced neck portion13 which is formed with a rim 14. Designated at 15 is an inner bottle orreceptacle which may be of the Thermos type or which may be of ordinarysingle walled construction, as shown, the bottom of the bottle beingrounded, as shown at 16, and being supported on an inverted U-shapedbracket member 17 secured in the bottom of the outer housing 12. Thebottle 15 is formed with a reduced neck 18 which is sealingly andfrictionally secured in the rim 14 by an annular sealing collar 19interposed between the neck 20 of the bottle and the rim 14 of the outerhousing 12, as shown, the sealing collar 19 being, for example, ofdeformable resilient material, such as rubber, cloth or the like.

Secured in the bottom of the bottle 15 is a conical spring 21 which hassecured to its top end the rigid conduit 22, said conduit being biasedupwardly by the spring nited States Patent ()7 21, as shown in Figure 4.The conduit 22 is of substantial length and is arranged to projectupwardly through the neck 20 of the bottle, as shown in Figure 4, whenreleased.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the upper portion of the outer housing 12comprises a removable section 24 whose shoulder 29 defined at the lowerend of the reduced rim 4 of the coiled spring 28'.

spring 28' urges the bar member 31 upwardly and'biases section 13 of theouter housing. The cap 28 is hinged at 30 to a flat bar member 31 whichextends slidably through a slot 32 in the shoulder 29. The lower end ofthe flat bar 31 is secured in any suitable manner to the top end It isthus apparent that the the hinge connection 30 to an elevated positionrelative to the shoulder 29, as shown in Figure 4. The cap member 28 maybe locked in closed position on the shoulder 29 by a detent hook 33pivoted to the shoulder 29 opposite the slot 32 and arranged tolockingly engage with a catch lug 34 formed on the lower portion of thecap 28, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The hinge 30 includes a conventional hinge spring biasing the cap 28 tothe open position thereof shown in Figure 4.

When the hook member 33 is engaged with the catch lug 34, the cap 28 issecured in sealing closing position on the shoulder 29, the bar member31 being held in depressed position, whereby the spring 28 iscompressed, as shown in Figure 5. When the hook 33 is rotated outwardly,as by the users thumb, the cap 28 is released, whereby the spring 28'expands, elevating the cap 28 and allowing said cap to be rotated to theelevated open position shown in Figure 4.

Secured centrally in the cap 28 is a depending stud 35 in which issecured the elongated tapered cork plug 36 which is arranged to enterthe top end of the conduit 22 when the cap 28 is moved downwardly toscaling, closing position on the shoulder 29. As shown in Figure 5, whenthe cap 28 is closed, the plug 36 enters the top end of the conduit 22,and moves the conduit 22 downwardly as the cap is moved downwardlytoward closing position. When the hook 33 is engaged on the catch lug34, the cap 28 is locked and the conduit 22 is secured in its depressedposition, shown in Figure 5.

In using the device, the bottle 15 is filled with the desired liquid,such as coffee, or similar liquid. When the user desires to drink theliquid he grasps the flasks outer housing 12 with the fingers of thehand and rotates the catch 33 outwardly with his thumb, releasing thecap 28 and allowing the cap to be elevated by the expansion of spring28' as above explained. The cap 28 may then be rotated to the openposition thereof shown in Figure 4, by a further movement of the usersthumb, disengaging the plug 36 from the top end of the conduit 22, andallowing said conduit to rise freely to its elevated position, shown inFigure 4. This provides free access to the top end of the conduit 22,which the user may employ as a drinking tube, whereby it is notnecessary to elevate the flask into his line of vision while drinkingthe contents of the bottle 15. It is therefore possible to obtain adrink from the flask using only one hand. When the user has obtained thedesired drink, he may close the flask by rotating the cap 28 to aposition overlying the top end of the bottle 15 and then depressing cap28 until Patented June 7, 1955.

the catch member 34 comes into locking engagement with the hook member33. The hook member 33 is provided with a biasing spring which urgessaid hook member to the upstanding position thereof shown in Figure 4whereby 'it lockingly engages with the catch lug 34 when said lug ismoved downwardly past the hook member. Therefore, the cap member 28 islocked in its closed sealing position when it is moved downwardly intoengagement with the shoulder 29. This may all be accomplished with thethumb of the hand holding the main housing 12 of the flask. As the cap28 is depressed into closed position, the plug 36 enters the conduit 22and depresses said conduit to the position thereof shown in Figure 5.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, an annular sealing cork 40 is preferablyprovided in the neck 18 of the bottle 15, the conduit 22 being slidablethrough the central aperture of said cork 40. When the cap 28 is closed,the tapered plug 36 makes sealing engagement with the central apertureof the annular cork 40, as well as with the top end of the conduit 22.

An additional small opening 42 may be provided, if desired, in theannular main cork 40 to admit air into the bottle as the liquid issipped from conduit 22. This would be sealed by another depending plugelement 44 carried by cap 2%, similar to the plug 36. However, byproviding sufficient air inlet clearance between the slidable conduit 22and the central aperture of the annular cork 40, there would be nonecessity for providing such an additional opening.

The exterior of the flask may be of any suitable shape to facilitategrasping the flask for the above described one-hand operation thereof.

While a specific embodiment of an improved beverage flask has beendisclosed in the forgoing description, it will be understood thatvarious modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitationsbe placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a flask of the character described, an outer elongated housing, aninner vessel received in said housing, the housing being open at one endand said vessel having its top rim sealingly secured in the open end ofthe housing, an apertured closure member positioned within the top rimof the vessel, a rigid tubular conduit in said vessel slidably extendingthrough said aperture, spring means connecting the bottom end of saidconduit to the bottom of said vessel and biasing the conduit outwardlythrough said top rim, a closure cap hinged to said housing and beinglinearly movable into closing relationship with the open end of saidhousing, and a tapered plug member rigidly secured to said cap andengageable in said conduit, said plug member being arranged to depresssaid conduit into said vessel when the cap is in closed position.

2. In a flask of the character described, an outer elongated housing, aninner vessel received in said housing, the housing being .open at oneend and said vessel having its top rim sealingly secured in the open endof the housing, an apertured closure member positioned within the toprim of the vessel, a rigid tubular conduit is said vessel slidablyextending through said aperture, spring means connecting the bottom endof said conduit to the bottom of said vessel and biasing the conduitoutwardly through said top rim, a closure cap slidably and pivotallyconnected to said housing, said cap being movable into closing positionon the open end of the housing, means biasing said cap upwardly awayfrom the open end of the housing, latch means on the housing lockinglyengageable with said cap to retain said cap in closed sealing positionon said open end, and a tapered plug member rigidly secured to said capand engageable in said conduit, said plug member being arranged todepress said conduit into said vessel when the cap is in closedposition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS124,733 George Mar. 19, 1872 942,306 Clarke Dec. 7, 1909 1,503,187Fitchett July 29, 1924 1,623,544 Kushner Apr. 5, 1927 2,052,307 KennedyAug. 25, 1936 2,448,893 Lamar Sept. 7, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 261,862Great Britain Dec. 2, 1926 33,697 Netherlands Sept. 15, 1934

